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[sadiestrober-blog]

Final Portfolio

Artifact #1 Conflict

I had played softball for 8 years all throughout grade school and I was always a shining player, even freshman year. My sophomore year, here at Hunterdon Central, I made the JV softball team and was known as a good catcher and hitter. I made the team and practiced with ease. When the game playing time came around my coach would almost never put me on the roaster in the position I was best at. Where other players who were not as good but knew the coach personally got the playing time where they wanted. This made me frustrated, but I never let it show and I always stayed after and picked up garbage after everyone left the bench a mess. I did not understand this but I still kept my head high and never was negative toward my coach or teammates. The following year I went out for the spring track team because my coach for winter really wanted me to come out. I have been a captain for two years, a member of the varsity team, and this year I came 1 foot away from the school record. My spring track and field team won 2 titles that we have not won within 20 years with the help of my contributions. I have won many awards for track and have merged into an elite athlete. Even though, I loved softball, had played it for many years, and had various friends in it, I am extremely happy I had to go through that conflict and made the decision to join the track team for the remainder of my high school career. I have learned a lot, met many new people, and all-around grown as a person.

Artifact #2 Addiction

My sister did not start off high school on the right foot because she had made friends with bad influences. She got addicted to heroin. Soon she started to fail classes, not come home often, and look different. When I was about 8 years old, my sister who I looked up to and loved spending time with had dropped out of high school and move out of the house. I was so young so I did not understand what was going on when I would go into her room and see burn marks in the carpet or notice her change in behavior. My family was not completely she where she moved to but we think it was somewhere in Trenton. My sister was a funny, creative, active girl when she was clean. I would text her and ask when she was coming home and visiting and she would reply with ¨soon¨ but she would not come. She only came when she need money or a car. She stole my mom credit card and car multiple times. Our family tried helping her and trying to get her rehab for a while, but nothing really worked. My parents would constantly bail her out of jail. Until finally, my parents had had enough and knew what was best for her. The last time she came to our house for money they called the police and had her arrested. Jail made her go cold turkey which was our last option. We would visit her and remind her that no matter what we love her and understand that she just got wrapped up with bad stuff that affected her as a person. After jail and a year of a halfway house and seeing people who came out successful and happier without the drugs, her life started to come together. She made new/clean friends, eventually met her (now fiance), and got a job doing what she loves (cosmetology). She has come a long way but now she is the manager at her hair dressing shop, engaged, owns a house, and completely sober. Going through this tore my mother apart but in all I think it drew us closer and stronger as a family. Knowing that she could have had a completely different outcome, our family is grateful and happy she is now successful and back to her normal self. 

https://www.recover-from-grief.com/

Artifact #3 Grief and Loss

Question: How can you demonstrate strategies to manage grief? Example #3 2.2.12.A.2

Analyzation:

It is not easy to cope after a loved one dies. You will mourn and grieve. Mourning is the natural process you go through to accept a major loss. Mourning may include religious traditions honoring the dead or gathering with friends and family to share your loss. Mourning is personal and may last months or years.

 Grieving is the outward expression of your loss. Your grief is likely to be expressed physically, emotionally, and psychologically. For instance, crying is a physical expression, while depression is a psychological expression. It is very important to allow yourself to express these feelings. Often, death is a subject that is avoided, ignored or denied. At first it may seem helpful to separate yourself from the pain, but you cannot avoid grieving forever. Someday those feelings will need to be resolved or they may cause physical or emotional illness.

Many people report physical symptoms that accompany grief. Stomach pain, loss of appetite, intestinal upsets, sleep disturbances and loss of energy are all common symptoms of acute grief. Of all life's stresses, mourning can seriously test your natural defense systems. Existing illnesses may worsen or new conditions may develop.

 Profound emotional reactions may occur. These reactions include anxiety attacks, chronic fatigue, depression and thoughts of suicide. An obsession with the deceased is also a common reaction to death.

Artifact:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6wNfWYXWno

In the movie Bridge to Terabithia Jesse and Leslie become friends and they find a rope swing while exploring in the woods and find the world of Terabithia. So one day Leslie decided to go to the rope swing alone and she hits her head while swinging, drops into the water and drowns. Jesse´s first responses to the sudden death of a close friend, are denial then anger which are very common responses to grief and loss to cousin the sadness of the loss.

Personal Connection:

Mackenzie was my niece, neighbor, and best friend. We would hang out nearly every single day. We did so many things together, but our favorite was catching bugs and creatures, everything ranging from caterpillars in the grass to salamanders in the creek.

In 2004, we received the news that Mackenzie was diagnosed with cancer. I was young and did not fully understand the consequences of cancer. Throughout the years after her diagnosis, my perception of what she went through had changed. Despite the sheer white sheets of multiple hospital beds, hair-loss from chemotherapy, or countless IVs being put into her small arms, she managed to always have a smile on her face and never showed her pain. She taught me that no matter what situation or time of day it is, that you should be strong and fight through it with a smile. Mackenzie passed away on March 3, 2010 at the age of seven. That morning when my dad told me, it was the first time I had ever seen him tear up. I was only nine years old, so I did not know how to react or think. It was hard to comprehend that she was gone. When my father told me, I did not cry. For a while I was so troubled by that. Who would not cry after someone so close to them has passed away? My conclusions were that I was completely heartless and that I somehow did not care or something. But after years of wondering, I found myself sitting on my bed one day reading the back of her funeral card, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” I finally realized that I was not heartless. I did not cry because I had too many great memories with her. Mackenzie’s image could never be a sad one for me because I picture her face and can only think of good memories and happiness. She never let the upsetting and horrible cancer side show. That reminded me of how strong she was to push through her illness and conceal her hardship. I will forever remember all of the fun adventures we went on.

Sources Cited:

“Coping with Loss: Bereavement and Grief.” Mental Health America, 1 May 2015,

www.mentalhealthamerica.net/conditions/coping-loss-bereavement-and-grief.

http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/conditions/coping-loss-bereavement-and-grief

http://articles.extension.org/pages/9037/loss-and-grief-activities-to-help-you-grieve  

Reflection: 

Throughout this course of Health 12 I have learned and reflected upon myself. I know that life is precious and we should treasure every moment like it is our last. I try to stay happy with my accomplishments and to cheer up others as well because you do not know what they have gone through. I respect my peers and try to stay very open and easy to talk to, so if they need help or advice they do not feel shy to ask. The human mind and wellness is a very complicated topic we all portray our emotions differently and have had different experiences, but we are all living life on this earth, we should remember to stay kind and positive. Thank you Mr. Walker for giving me the best experience in this course. :)